They have 'trouble seeing' the head. Which, for shooters, is a very good thing.
The good folk at the Royal Society in Great Britain published an article that helps us understand why.
According to John A. Endler zebra stripe camouflage is a function of "disruptive coloration."
Simply, 'disruptively colored elements (stripes) distract attention and break up the body outline, making detection difficult." (Thayer 1909; Cott 1940; Stevens & Cuthill 2006).
It is also noted that a study by Schaefer & Stobbe (2006) shows that the advantage of disruptive patterns is greater when disruptive patterns have higher contrast, Copyright © 2006 The Royal Society
Competitive Bottom Line: our Zebra's heads' "disruptive coloration" is an effective means of confusing the visual system, serving to break up the head's outline, especially when moving at speed.
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